Films re-released with alterations

In this thread I aim to create a list of as many films that have been altered for re-release, specifically for home video. The major area I want to focus on is digital alterations, as this is a troubling trend that I find very interesting. If possible, I will also post links to comparison pictures. I will be focusing specifically on video changes, but may also update with audio changes. For the sake of completeness, I am also including the Star Wars saga.

Please let me know if you find more and I will add them to this list. I’m sorry if I ruin any of these films for some people 😃

Aladdin
"Not a visual alteration: Disney substituted the opening song lyrics on all home video versions and theatrical re-releases of Aladdin after complaints during the original theatrical run.

Alien
"-As the sun rises over LV-426, three helmet lights (representing the astronauts) have now been added, as they make their way round a large rock formation (for the 2010 Blu-ray).
-The CGI mist that drifts past the derelict entrance as the three astronauts enter, is now missing from the 2010 Blu-ray.
Alternate take used for the insert shot of the Alien, just before Brett is attacked (for the 2010 Blu-ray)." -Slavicuss

The Bride of Frankenstein
"The BD for Bride of Frankenstein makes a ‘fix’ to a shot of the Monster approaching the hermit’s cabin. Previously it started in a wide shot which cut to a somewhat closer shot midway. On the BD, Universal attempted to make it look like one continuous shot by enlarging the farther shot to match the closer shot. IMO this looks worse then before. The transition between both shots is still pretty noticeable especially since a tree branch that was waving in the foreground in the farther shot now magically disappears! For a better examination check out post 27 in the link below. http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/46058/BRIDE-OF-FRANKENSTEIN-on-BluRay-1935?page=2#.V0orECMrLPA" -crissrudd4554

Demolition Manhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106697/trivia
“For some non-American releases, references to Taco Bell were changed to Pizza Hut. This includes dubbing, plus changing the logos during post-production. Taco Bell remains in the closing credits. In both the Dutch and Swedish releases the subtitles still use Taco Bell while the sound and picture have been altered as above. Also, when using Closed Captioning on cable television, references to Taco Bell are changed to Pizza Hut.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpRzusd9Yi8
UK Blu-ray uses the the original US Taco Bell dialogue, whereas the Scandinavian release uses the Pizza Hut lines and contains the digital alterations seen in the comparison clip above. However in recent years, Sky Movies has apparently begun screening the Euro version.https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1984589/demolition-man-taco-bell-changed-to-pizza-hut"

The Godfather Part II
"An insider at Paramount claims that from 1997 onwards, the colours on The Godfather and Part II have never been correct and very likely, never will be. A depressing read that also includes details of how the original negative was mishandled during the 80s for home video transfers.

To Kill a Mockingbird
A recent digital restoration removed optical push-in grain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TEgrdAlofk (note: I haven’t watched this video in about a month, but I believe this is where I heard this)

Minority Report
"In the theatrical version, the Swedish dialogue spoken by Peter Stormare to his assistant was subtitled in English. This translation was removed from the home video (and from what I’ve seen), the TV broadcasts.

Another addition: Philadelphia and I remember the situation because it was quite well publicised at the time. The storyline is partially based on the life of Geoffrey Bowers but TriStar had failed to honour an agreement to credit him and compensate his family. Years of litigation followed and the case was settled.

The end credits were then altered to include the following acknowledgement:

“This motion picture was inspired in part by Geoffrey Bowers’ AIDS discrimination lawsuit, the courage and love of the Angius family and the struggles of the many others who, along with their loved ones, have experienced discrimination because of AIDS.”

Raiders of the Lost Ark
-Removed guiding rod for boulder
-Erased reflection on Plexiglas between Harrison Ford and the cobra
-Bar scene has been recolored a heavy orange-red color (originally much darker, as seen in LPP scan)
-Reframed shots in submarine bay scene
-Different masters have either recomposited certain effects or painted out matte lines, such as for the seaplane (as seen in the DVD and HDTV masters)
-2008 master uses a CG shot of a truck falling off a cliff: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIH46G9_3SU (Hard to see in this video, so if anyone has a better source, let me know)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
"The aspect ratio of Star Trek VI was altered to 1.85:1 on the 2004 SE DVD and the director also included the following visual alterations:

There is a new wide shot of Scotty reading the blueprints of the Enterprise in the dining hall.

Valeris’s interrogation scene has been entirely reedited. There are now close up shots of Kirk and McCoy when they speak their lines instead of being in wide shots. When Spock and Valeris name a particular conspirator, the face of that person briefly appears in a flashback like style.

Michael Mann films like “Heat”, “Ali”, “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Manhunter” were altered by the director on video (though I believe the latter two do have their theatrical versions on modern formats).

“The Devil’s Advocate” had to digitally alter an artwork for legal reasons. “Mulholland Drive” had the nudity blurred on DVD by David Lynch himself (no idea if this happened on the Criterion Blu-ray, or if Lynch’s concerns about nude pictures circulating online still apply).

On less critically-acclaimed films, “Battlefield Earth” and “Highlander: Endgame” were modified on DVD (the latter known for blurring out a giant JVC logo, not for legal reasons but because the filmmakers found it distracting).

“Stand by Me” reportedly had an alteration during its theatrical run, with the text on the monitor at the end refined.

Do the “Raiders” alterations still exist on the Blu-ray? I recall Spielberg a few years ago changing his stance on special editions (comparing his newfound agreement with purists to how outraged he would be if someone did wire removal on George Pal’s “The War of the Worlds”).

Michael Mann films like “Heat”, “Ali”, “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Manhunter” were altered by the director on video (though I believe the latter two do have their theatrical versions on modern formats).

The Blu-ray release of Heat has been altered very slightly. The DVD with the theatrical cut remains in print and widely available.

The LD and earlier production runs of the DVD contain the unaltered artwork.

EJones216 said:
Do the “Raiders” alterations still exist on the Blu-ray? I recall Spielberg a few years ago changing his stance on special editions (comparing his newfound agreement with purists to how outraged he would be if someone did wire removal on George Pal’s “The War of the Worlds”).

For the Blu-ray release, Spielberg removed the alterations that are present on the DVD and also omitted the further alterations that were made for the Lowry restoration that crops up on TV periodically, where Gobler’s death sequence has been updated with CGI.

Wazzles said:
The major area I want to focus on is digital alterations, as this is a troubling trend that I find very interesting.

Recent releases of The Rescuers have been digitally altered on home video to remove images of a nude woman that were inserted as a joke and apparently only became noticeable when people were able to rewind and freeze-frame at their leisure.

Iron Man was digitally altered for its home release (and TV airings) to avoid litigation over the photograph that’s seen during the penultimate moments when Stark is reading the newspaper and reflecting on his adventures.

European home video versions of Avengers Assemble were digitally altered to censor the fatal impalement of a lead character.

Peter Jackson admitted on the audio commentary for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” that Smaug in the prologue was replaced with the new design on home release. Anyone know if these shots are the same on both the Theatrical and Extended DVD/BDs?

The 3D restoration removed studio lights, potted plants, wires and the plastic tarp visible in the last shot when the Helicopter heads out to the ocean towards mainland. Also added was a lightning flash in the Triceratops scene which wasn’t there in the original version. I personally like all these changes as they make the film better and less distracting. I especially love the bright lightning burst which not only adds more impact to the scene but adds more sense of danger and the subtle hint of nature’s fury. They also polished the CGI models, especially the final T-Rex roar, which looks fantastic now.

I like that they went back to the warmer colour timing of the prints, but they went a bit overboard and things tilted towards pink sometimes, especially skin tones. This is the problem with digital grading, it never looks and feels natural. The colours on the original print look far more natural and pleasing to the eyes, despite being warm. Also they cropped the framing too much for my liking. Dinosaur heads and snouts got chopped out.

I don’t like the audio changes. Mountain Lion vocals were added in the Velociraptor Kitchen scene. And additional bird sounds were added in the scene where Grant is trying to convince Tim to come out of the Explorer that is stuck on the tree.

EJones216 said:
On less critically-acclaimed films, “Battlefield Earth” and “Highlander: Endgame” were modified on DVD (the latter known for blurring out a giant JVC logo, not for legal reasons but because the filmmakers found it distracting).

JayArgonaut said:
Iron Man was digitally altered for its home release (and TV airings) to avoid litigation over the photograph that’s seen during the penultimate moments when Stark is reading the newspaper and reflecting on his adventures.

European home video versions of Avengers Assemble were digitally altered to censor the fatal impalement of a lead character.

Could you guys provide a source for these ones? I couldn’t find anything on them.

Peter Jackson admitted on the audio commentary for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” that Smaug in the prologue was replaced with the new design on home release. Anyone know if these shots are the same on both the Theatrical and Extended DVD/BDs?

JayArgonaut said:
Iron Man was digitally altered for its home release (and TV airings) to avoid litigation over the photograph that’s seen during the penultimate moments when Stark is reading the newspaper and reflecting on his adventures.

European home video versions of Avengers Assemble were digitally altered to censor the fatal impalement of a lead character.

Could you guys provide a source for these ones? I couldn’t find anything on them.

The BD for Bride of Frankenstein makes a ‘fix’ to a shot of the Monster approaching the hermit’s cabin. Previously it started in a wide shot which cut to a somewhat closer shot midway. On the BD, Universal attempted to make it look like one continuous shot by enlarging the farther shot to match the closer shot. IMO this looks worse then before. The transition between both shots is still pretty noticeable especially since a tree branch that was waving in the foreground in the farther shot now magically disappears! For a better examination check out post 27 in the link below.

The BD for Bride of Frankenstein makes a ‘fix’ to a shot of the Monster approaching the hermit’s cabin. Previously it started in a wide shot which cut to a somewhat closer shot midway. On the BD, Universal attempted to make it look like one continuous shot by enlarging the farther shot to match the closer shot. IMO this looks worse then before. The transition between both shots is still pretty noticeable especially since a tree branch that was waving in the foreground in the farther shot now magically disappears! For a better examination check out post 27 in the link below.

The title seen during the closing moments of the Scarface Special Edition DVD, “this film is dedicated to Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht” has a different screen position and text colour from the version featured on the 1998 widescreen VHS release. I suspect but can’t confirm 100% that the VHS (and LD, presumably) title text is very likely from the theatrical print and de Palma probably created a new version for the SE DVD. Sadly I no longer have a copy of the W/S VHS release from which I could produce a comparison screen grab.

The title seen during the closing moments of the Scarface Special Edition DVD, “this film is dedicated to Howard Hawks and Ben Hecht” has a different screen position and text colour from the version featured on the 1998 widescreen VHS release. I suspect but can’t confirm 100% that the VHS (and LD, presumably) title text is very likely from the theatrical print and de Palma probably created a new version for the SE DVD. Sadly I no longer have a copy of the W/S VHS release from which I could produce a comparison screen grab.